It is ironic that Olamide`s Instagram post announcing the release of his forthcoming “Lagos Nawa” album would rile up his millions of fans in excitement while in a smaller circle of music critics, the post bears both good and ominous signs.
The fans on the streets are only excited that Olamide is performing his annual rite of releasing an album but for people like me, who pay attention to detail; hmm I`m scared.
First of, I`m scared that after managing to find a facelift in Wo! Olamide still sees annual album releases as a MUST. Then, my fear is heightened by the fact that the Lagos Nawa album would be relatively a one producer album (except one or two self-produced tracks on the album). I`m even more scared that Olamide “made the album in 48 hours.”
In the business of album compilation, I`d like to think that there is an under wraps difference between quality and quantity. An artiste can be prolific with album releases but to be prominent for the quality of your albums as an artiste; the standard is quite different. Asa is known to make classic albums, M.I specializes in compiling first grade Naija rap albums but Olamide is known for album numbers (and I fear that it would remain so even after the release of his forthcoming album).
”˜Lagos Nawa` would be Olamide`s 7th album and 8th music project in seven years. Yes! He has released a shitload of tracks but the quality of his albums have been questioned a lot, especially when Olamide wants us to believe his projects are “hip-hop albums.” Clearly, music comes easy for baddo, and I heard that a call from Alaba is all the motivation Olamide needs to release an album, but an artiste mindful of the fact that the inspiration to create a great album is never always there, such artiste would consider the fact that artistes don`t just subscribe yearly for great creative processes for albums, and if the longterm impact of an album means anything to such artiste; then he/she would resist the temptation from the middle-men, record as many records as the wobe spirit leads and concentrate the best products into filling up great albums.
No ID, the one producer who manned Jay-Z`s seismic impacting ”˜4:44` album, opened up the creative process to the album and he revealed that the album is what it is because he, particularly, was working on “getting better,” while Jay-Z was looking to explore new music concepts. No ID said he worked on 500 (music production) ideas, which he played to J.Cole, before meeting Jay-Z to add his midas touch to the joint effort which produced such a huge album. Another artiste renowned for the quality of her album, Adele, takes two-four years to record her albums, but baddo and Young John needed just “48 hours” to record “Lagos Nawa” *rolls-eye.* It better be “hype” or that months had been put into forming the ideas of tracks on the album and Olamide only went on a 48-hour recording-spree, else the “Lagos Nawa” album would end up eliciting a disappointing “nawa o” expression from fans who would listen to the album without sentiment.
Written by Oluwatobi Ibironke
@ibironketweets
